The present invention relates in general to a warhead for a field launched weapon and pertains, more particularly, to a warhead for breaching barbed wire barricades. The warhead of this invention is an improvement over the conventional method of breaching a barbed-wire barricade since it is intended to be launched from a Shoulder-Fired Multi-Purpose Assault Weapon (SMAW).
With the conventional weapon it is generally necessary to provide a soldier with a weapon for breaching a barbed-wire barricade in a battlefield in one of the following conventional methods, including cutting the wire with hand tools, setting off a bangalore torpedo or multiple torpedoes under a barbed wire barricade after first assembling and placing the torpedoes into position and setting a detonation fuze, or using a weapon generally referred to as a POMINS that typically requires a two person team to carry and place.
The conventional weapons generate small cubic fragmentations upon exploding, which fragmentations have not been found to be very efficient in cutting barbed wire barricades. Also, the conventional weapons may be relatively easy to detect by an enemy, therefore presenting the further drawback of mission failure and attendant personnel casualties.